Of These Chains
by Coleiosis
Summary: A long story to go along with the longest-running PlayStation All-Stars series! Join Pupuru, Jin Kazama, Ratchet, and Kat as they embark on the journey to Transylvania, in an attempt to eradicate Count Dracula, Needles, and Dr. Zemu in their attempt to send acid rain to burn Romania. Can they destroy the AcidMaker in time? Or will the foreign countries be destroyed forever?


PlayStation All-Stars

Of These Chains

By Cole Bezotte

 **I used the title from one of my favorite songs from Red: "Of These Chains". It's practically what this story is about.**

Introduction:

Once you start reading this story, you'll probably recognize it right away.

It all started in the early summer of 2014, when I had just finished the fourth season of the original (and deleted) PlayStation All-Stars fanfiction series. I thought I was having a blast at first; but now I can look back and remember how violent and bloody I wrote it.

But after season four was when things were getting better. My little brother Hudson and I had the idea that we should leave Ratchet for the moment (since we were using him a little too much), and replace him with another hero from PlayStation: Jin Kazama. You probably know him from the Tekken franchise; I used to play Tekken 4 all the time, and it was considered a favorite.

So I thought: "Why not? Ratchet has done his share, now it's time for someone else to take his place. After all, Ratchet can always come back later. But for now, someone ELSE needs to be with Pupuru."

That's when I wrote seasons five and six of the series. But after half of season seven, that's when things went completely downhill when I used more blood, gore, and sex. I also made Needles completely destroy Pupuru's beautiful face, along with the most morbid battle between Pupuru and Kat. I made Pupuru the "rag-doll" for too long, especially when she formed her Girls' Brigade (which I had now brought back to satisfy the hungry fans).

I wanted to bring this story back because it was one of the cleanest I've ever written, and I hated to say good-bye to it as I tore down the entire series. Now I have a chance to bring back such a classic in the best way possible. I would have brought back my VERY FIRST story, but that can only be if the fans want it.

Even though the original series was all a long dream Pupuru had, it looks like a big part of it shall come true. Jin Kazama appeared in "Return of the Reaper", and it looks like he got his wish to see Pupuru and have his first adventure with her.

I hope you enjoy this reproduction of the classic story of the cancelled seasons five, six, and half of seven. Notice that this version will be different from how it was originally written.

Enjoy!

Chapter I

It had been a few days since the commotion with Ratchet and his split-personality. Pupuru thought that she was having another horrible dream, but this one was for real. "When will I ever escape this madness?" she kept asking herself in her sleep. "Can't I ever go on an adventure that's PEACEFUL?"

Nothing was going very well at the mansion of the League of Heroes. Ratchet still thought that he would someday screw up again and create another split-personality. He knew that Pupuru would not be safe if he was around too often. He needed time to be alone for a while and pull himself together. Also, he thought that Pupuru needed to be on an adventure with someone else; perhaps it would help her to forget the fears of the past.

And so, the following day, Ratchet offered Pupuru to go on a space mission with her. She gladly accepted the offer and went with him in his special ship. They soared out of Earth and fought with many enemy star-fighters sent by Needles himself. All those fighters were destroyed, and Ratchet and Pupuru were victorious.

It was so sudden that Ratchet was to then make his next move on Pupuru. He was ready to say what was needed to be said. He turned from his cockpit seat and finally spoke up:

"Well, Pupuru, I know how it's really fun to be on these grand adventures together. I enjoy it myself; but sometimes, it's just nice to be alone."

"What do you mean, Ratchet?" Pupuru replied. "Nobody wants to fight alone."

"I know, and that's why I'm sending someone special up here to take my place."

"You mean… You're going to RETIRE?"

"Heck no! I'd never do that! What I mean is, I just need some time to myself to pull myself together. We've been fighting ourselves for too long, and you remember well what happened last time we did so. I created a split-personality because of my own anger, and I almost killed you. It's time that I should be on my own for a while so I can pull myself together. I know you really don't like saying good-bye, but I promise you that I will come back, and we'll be together again. That's a promise that I'll never break."

"Then who's going to be with me?"

"Don't worry about a thing. I've already sent the coordinates for Angela to be up here. She'll land this ship to wherever sounds like a good spot for adventures. She's a pilot like me, but she can be a bit reckless sometimes. Don't tell her I said that. And so, Pupuru, farewell!"

"Good-bye, Ratchet!" Pupuru said as she ran over to embrace Ratchet. "I'll really miss you!"

"I'll miss you too," Ratchet replied softly. "You've always been a good little girl, and I am very proud of you. You'll be okay…"

"This sounds an awful lot like…!" Pupuru thought to herself. But before she could say anything, a bright light suddenly engulfed Ratchet and completely took him away. He had set the coordinates for him to appear at the mansion, replacing himself with Angela Cross.

Pupuru stood where she was, watching as the bright light began to fade away. But suddenly, she saw a completely different figure; it was not Angela. The figure of a human man stood where Ratchet once was.

"What the heck!?" the man exclaimed as he looked around himself. "What am I doing here?"

"Jin Kazama!" Pupuru exclaimed, surprised. "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you!"

"It sure is good to see you, Pupuru," Jin replied. "But I have no idea how I got here!"

"Ratchet set the coordinates for Angela to appear here. But I don't know how YOU got here instead!"

"I always thought Ratchet was tinkering around with technology too much. Oh, and speaking of which, I wanted to ask him a favor."

"What did you want to ask him?"

"I wanted to join his group of the League of Heroes. I thought that maybe it wouldn't be too bad to fight side-by-side with other guys and girls. I think I can get used to that. I was really excited ever since I was saved and snatched out of outer space."

"Actually, I controlled the Time Box to snatch you out of there. I saw what happened to you, your father, and your grandfather. I just thought that it was the best thing for me to do; I hate to see people in jeopardy."

"You did that? Then, you saved my life! How can I ever forget that?"

"How can I ever forget about you appearing in my dream?"

 **(Remember the giant dream of the original cancelled series? That is very IMPORTANT to remember!)**

"A dream? I think I've heard Ratchet and that preacher mention it before."

"Preacher? Oh, you must mean Jebidiah!"

"Does he have glasses, a hat, and a strange accent?"

"That's the one! Wait a minute! Why are we standing here just talking? We've got to find out why Angela didn't appear here."

 **(Note from the author: Jin appeared in Paris before the Time Box was introduced in "Rise of the Reaper". Ratchet created the Time Box before the Gargoyles returned, but Pupuru went sleepwalking from a wild dream. She ended up walking into the Time Box and saving Jin from outer space, which is why you saw him in Paris fighting Gargoyles.)**

"Can't we discuss that after I find a way to land this thing? What's that blinking light for anyway?" Jin asked as he pointed to a blinking orange light on the corner of the controls.

"That must be the fuel light," Pupuru replied. "And from the way things look at the earth's orbit, I don't think we have enough power to reach Los Angeles."

Jin walked over to something on the wall of the ship's hall that caught his eye. It was a map of Earth; he studied it hard to see where they were above, then looked back at the real Earth. "We're right above the edge of Russia," he said. "I'll land there and maybe ask for some fuel. Russia is full of technologies, you know."

Suddenly, the ship was heavily hit by many powerful swarming missiles. Jin quickly turned to see that a flying ice cream truck was charging right towards them.

"What the heck?!" Jin exclaimed. "What is an ice cream truck doing in outer space?"

The truck had the head of an evil clown on its top, just like Needles' truck. But there was far more to this than meets the eye.

"The master will reward me handsomely for this!" the truck thought in its cybernetic memory. "For I, SweetToothimus Prime, shall make sure no intruders interfere with the plans of Count Dracula himself!"

"I don't think Needles created that truck," Pupuru said as she pointed towards SweetToothimus Prime. "That looks more like the technology of a REAL scientist!"

"You are correct my friend!" Prime replied. "I am no ordinary machine! I am a living engine of destruction, serving none other than the ruthless vampire known as Count Dracula!"

"Dracula!" Jin said. "I thought he was a merely a myth…an old wives' tale!"

"None shall know that the vampire exists to steal the blood of his victims!" Prime replied. "Now that you know, you must die!" With that, Prime shot one more missile to wreck the ship again.

The ship completely lost control as it began to bend down and fall right down towards Russia below. "Hang in there!" Jin exclaimed. "This landing could get a little rough!"

"Hey!" Pupuru replied, holding tightly to her seat. "Crashes are rough; landings are not!"

"Then it's a CRASH landing!"

Prime looked down and watched the ship fall at full speed down to the earth below. "The deed is done!" he thought. "Nothing can stop me now!"

Jin and Pupuru could no longer control the ship as the landing was getting rougher than ever. "We're coming in too hot!" Jin exclaimed. "We lost all our heat shields! You better stay back or you'll be toasted!"

Chapter II

The ship crashed its remains on Krasnodar, Russia, right where everyone suspected. Pupuru was relieved that they were safe and sound. But on the other hand, Jin was very angry. He stormed out of the remains of the ship and began picking up rocks and throwing them as far as he could.

"Calm yourself down, Jin!" Pupuru said to him. "Being angry isn't going to help!"

"Why shouldn't I be angry?!" Jin replied as he kicked the ship. "I landed this frickin' tin can on a place that we are stuck at forever! And worst of all, I'm stuck here with you! I have no frickin' idea how I got to you in the first place!"

Suddenly, Jin realized how angry he was, so he took a big breath and calmed himself down. "I am very sorry for the way I'm acting," he continued. "I just don't to wake up the Devil gene and attack you."

"Devil gene?" Pupuru replied. "What's that?"

"I've had it my entire life. This demon inside of me wants me to commit murder and do many acts of evil. I've tried my whole life to get rid of this gene, and I won't stop until I will!"

"And I won't stop until I've fully helped you."

"You're actually willing to help me?"

"I've saved your life before. Why not let me do it again?"

"Thank you so much, Pupuru. You're a real friend. But the first thing we need to know is… How do we get out of here?"

"We're gonna need to just search around until we find a city. Transportation is the one thing we need."

"We'll need more than that. Another thing we need is responsibility; somehow, I feel as though that's what we're lacking. If we're going to get out of this mess, we need to do it together…"

Meanwhile, many miles away, at Transylvania, Romania, we find grim and foreboding the castle of the dreaded vampire Count Dracula. Inside the castle, the vampire gloated over his new plan for world domination; his fellow scientist Dr. Zemu helped to create a machine that was designed to cause total chaos.

This new device that Zemu was building had the purpose of summoning black clouds to pour acid rain upon the land. The rain would burn and melt and whatever it touches, but not the protective castle itself. Zemu had also built a force-field generator to form a protective field around the castle, and Dracula would be safe from the chaos. Surely, Dracula planned to destroy all of Romania. Then, his home Transylvania would be the only city standing.

While Dr. Zemu continued to build the AcidMaker, Dracula looked into his special seeing stone to observe what was happening in the meantime. He watched as Jin and Pupuru crashed the ship at Krasnodar, thinking of how SweetToothimus Prime did his job keeping the heroes away from Transylvania.

"Our robot has failed!" Dracula exclaimed in frustration. "Those two suspects still live!"

"But they don't suspect that we are up to something, right?" Dr. Zemu replied, wiping his sweaty face with a towel.

"You are correct; they do not know what we plan to do. But seeing such faces as those makes my blood boil! I shall not allow any hero to live another day to fight crime! You know well how much this upsets me!"

"You still want me to kill Axel, right?"

"I am not sure. But you will still have to do something about him; what you're doing to him is racist."

"But you can't put my good work on the wheels to waste. His father bought them from me, and I enhanced them to keep Axel as a prisoner for life."

"Forget him; he has now served his purpose. I just now thought of an idea! I sense something dark, fierce, and dangerous inside the one known as Jin Kazama. He is a strong fighter, but there is something he tries to hold back from his friends. I might use it for my own purposes, as well as put him to the wheels."

Dr. Zemu turned around and watched as SweetToothimus Prime landed in the docking bay behind the castle. "How strange this is turning out to be," he thought quietly. "I stole that robot from one of Needles' agents in Russia, and I programmed it to follow our orders and commands. Someday, he'll destroy an entire NATION! I'm sure of it!"

Chapter III

Jin and Pupuru were walking through the forest for hours, trying to find whatever sign of a city. So far, they saw nothing; so they continued on their journey. It seemed like they would have to search for days, probably on end. The more they walked on, the more Jin feared that the Devil gene would take over his mind and make him attack Pupuru.

"I hate how it happens so randomly," Jin thought silently as he stopped to catch his breath. "And I just can't find a way to get rid of the gene. I still can't blame my father or my grandfather for giving this to me. But Pupuru has promised me that she will help me find a way to get rid of this Devil gene once and for all."

Pupuru noticed that Jin had stopped for a moment. "What's wrong?" she asked him. "You can't seem to forget about that Devil gene, huh?"

"I really wish it would all go away," Jin replied. "If I had one wish, I'd want it to be that my darkness would go away and never come back."

"Why don't you look out for shooting stars at night. You can say your wish when you see that star shoot by, and maybe it will happen. Your dream will come true!"

"I hope what you SAY is true," Jin said as he continued to walk on.

But suddenly, before anything else was said, Pupuru felt herself get snatched off the ground. A vine had caught her on the leg and raised her off the ground. Jin quickly turned to see the commotion, but he also saw what looked like two villains running towards her.

"We finally have her, Goggle Eyes!" one of them, a huge, fat man exclaimed.

"Just in time!" the other one replied. "Grab her quickly, Trash Man! Don't let that man do any real damage!"

 **(Note: These two characters, Goggle Eyes and Trash Man, are both from** _ **Twisted Metal 4**_ **.)**

Jin attempted to wrestle with Trash Man before he could get his hands on Pupuru. But Trash Man was bigger than him; his chubbiness made him unmovable, as Jin could not push him off the ground. Trash Man placed Jin in a headlock, holding him still while Goggle Eyes retrieved his captive.

"Stay back!" Goggle Eyes commanded to Jin. "Come no further—not if you value her life!"

"Do not harm the girl!" Jin replied as he struggled to free himself from Trash Man's grip.

"I've waited a long time for this—and I don't want to end it too soon. I want to enjoy it! So, we shall take the girl with us, to make sure you do as we command!"

"As you command? What do you mean?"

"Meet us again on this same corner in exactly twenty-four hours. At that time, you'll have no choice but to let us defeat you forever! And now, you have twenty-four hours to worry—and to be powerless to do anything! How sweet is the fruit of victory!"

With that, Micro Blast and Trash Man took off with Pupuru as their captive, giving Jin the final warning. "Pupuru!" Jin called out. "Be brave! I'll save you—somehow!"

"Stay where you are, fighter!" Trash Man barked at Jin. "Follow us—and the girl is finished!"

Jin stood right where he was as he watched Pupuru be easily taken by those two villains.

 **(Note: Goggle Eyes and Trash Man were taking Pupuru to a THIRD character from** _ **Twisted Metal 4**_ **. Do you remember Micro Blast?)**

"I won't let that evil duo hold her forever," Jin thought. "And if that Devil gene takes over me, Pupuru is a goner! But what should I do first? I cannot gamble with Pupuru's life! But—how could they have known to capture her? Very few villains ever know her… Wait a minute! I GOT it! I remember how the Polygon Man, Mr. Grimm, Agent Stone, and Needles brought back the production of the Gargoyles! Perhaps one of THEM is the key to this problem!"

With swift speed, Jin sprinted through the forest, searching for a clue that Needles had perhaps left. His suspicions were correct; he soon saw Needles standing at the edge of the Sea of Azov, with Tower Tooth parked behind him.

"It was YOU who told those two fiends to capture Pupuru!" Jin exclaimed to him. "It could only have been you! Admit it!"

"Never!" Needles replied as he turned to face his foe. "I admit nothing! You cannot threaten me! If I were foolhardy enough to fight you, I know you would lash out like a thousand demons—but you cannot strike at one who stands quietly before you. Your stupid honor would not permit it."

"Don't get comfortable! I have my breaking point!"

"Yes—I can see that you might lose control—you might strike out at me. And so although I still admit nothing, I can tell you where you will find she whom you seek. Goggle Eyes and Trash Man have taken Pupuru to the forbidden Underworld. Just don't search TOO deep; you'll find a pretty nasty surprise there."

"My first concern is to free Pupuru before any harm comes to her. But then, I shall return—and you will pay for what you have done! Nothing will save you!"

"Your words do not impress me. My shrewdness and cunning will ever be more than a match for your brute strength."

Jin quickly left the place in a hurry. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tower Tooth seemed to be in full power. "Maybe I should have destroyed that thing," Jin thought as Tower Tooth's head watched him leave. "But we'll need SOME use of transportation to get us out of here."

Jin ran for miles until he finally found what looked like a cave. Its opening may have been small, but he was able to see the light of fire reflect from the stone walls. "That Underworld is just like hell," Jin thought. "I wonder if it IS hell. I don't know if Pupuru could survive in a place like that, but I must do all I can to bring her out of there."

As Jin slowly approached the opening, cautiously, he was suddenly met by what looked like a man made out of lava. "Who dares to approach the forbidden Underworld?" the creature spoke up to him.

"I am Jin Kazama," Jin asked in reply. "I am searching for a friend of mine who has been taken here. She was kidnapped by two villains, and I need to rescue her."

"Ah, you too are a man who fights for justice! I am Molto, keeper of the flame, forced to keep the fires of the Underworld burning with fury! I was forced to work for the master a long while ago, ever since I was kidnapped and stolen away. Come; I shall talk more about it as I bring you down to find your friend."

"I guess you're not such a bad demon after all," Jin continued as they walked down the path that led into the dreaded Underworld.

"I was not a demon my entire life," Molto replied. "In fact, my name is not even Molto! I was once a Russian scientist known as Ivan Moltovsky. I was stolen by these fierce creatures and brought into this foul realm! The man known as James Ash completely transformed me into a hideous, horrible molten creature!"

"I can relate; the Devil gene has been inside me during my entire life. I never found a cure at all, not even an exorcism. I really hate it when it takes over my mind at ANY time, especially the worst hour of the day. I've been hoping and praying for a way to get rid of what has been inside me my whole life."

"It must be the most horrible thing to be a freak! I'd give ANYTHING to be normal again! ANYTHING!"

"I'm just as helpless as you! I cannot stop the Devil gene from overtaking me, but YOUR case is different. I'll go see that Mr. Ash and defeat him for good!"

"I'm sorry, but Ash is not here. After that horrible ordeal he had with the son of Zeus, he went on a secret mission to hunt down the Lombax known as Ratchet. He thought that revenge needed to be fulfilled."

"If Ash is gone, then who's in control here at the moment? I hope it's not Minion."

"A man known as Heihachi Mishima has come and completely taken over the Underworld. He had put every single creature in this realm under his spell, but little does he know that I was a human to begin with."

Hearing the name Heihachi Mishima made Jin freeze in his tracks. His heart pounded heavily with fear, knowing that he would have to face his worst fear.

"What is wrong?" Ivan asked him. "Why do you tremble?"

"Heihachi is my grandfather," Jin answered in reply. "I can never forget the fact that he has become very bad just like my father. It seems as though I'll HAVE to face him in order to retrieve Pupuru back."

"It seems so. In the meantime, while you go rescue your friend, I shall go and control the flame to destroy this dreaded Underworld once and for all! Neither Ash nor Mishima has ever let me out of their sight, so I was forced to keep the flame burning. But now that you are here to distract your grandfather, I shall cause the flame to burn TOO much and completely destroy this horrid realm!"

"Now THERE's a man who fights for freedom! Rest easy; your freedom shall be fulfilled."

Jin and Ivan each went separate ways as the flames of the Underworld began to die out.

Heihachi noticed that Ivan was not where he was like he was "supposed" to be. He became very upset over this. "Where is the keeper of the flame?" he demanded. "My realm needs to live!"

"Your realm deserves to die, grandfather!" Jin replied behind him. "It's over!"

Heihachi turned to see Jin walking right towards him.

"You!" Heihachi exclaimed. "How did you find me?"

"Your once-useful scientist brought me here to claim our freedom," Jin replied.

"Molto! So he WAS untrustworthy!"

"All he wants is his freedom, and that's what I want for my friend as well. Now, hand her over!"

"You should have stopped me when you had the chance last time we met! You have wasted your time coming down here searching for nothing!"

"What?! Pupuru's not here?!"

"I know not whom you speak of!"

"Where is Pupuru?" Jin thought. He was very desperate to retrieve her and return her to the surface safely. "I must get her to safety FAST! I already feel the Devil gene coming! I must act quickly!"

Suddenly, Heihachi and Jin turned to see a giant blazing fire engulfing most of their surroundings. Ivan had done his work, unleashing all his power and knowledge to destroy the accursed underground.

All the other creatures came to see what was going on; they were surprised to see Ivan in his plot to destroy the Underworld once and for all.

"It is Molto!" one of the creatures called out. "He has betrayed us!"

"You are incorrect!" Ivan replied. "I've planned to betray you for all the time I've been here! I'd dare anything for the people who have been so good to me! Now that I have brought the flame to its full power, I am prepared to pay the price… with YOU!"

"Don't do it!"

But it was too late; Ivan had already spread the flame to engulf the entire Underworld. From where Jin and Heihachi stood, they watched as the entire place was crumbling down into shambles. "Ivan did it!" Jin thought silently. "Mr. Ash will no longer have a home to live in. We have finally freed the world from this deviltry! Ivan had done it! I never thought…"

But suddenly, Jin felt demon wings sprout out of his back, as well as horns growing on his head. "It's the Devil gene again!" Jin thought. "I can't stop it! I don't want it to happen! Not here! Not now! Not when Pupuru needs me most…!"

It was too late; the Devil gene had fully overtaken his mind. He was ready for one thing that would satisfy him: death to his grandfather.

Chapter IV

As Devil Jin and Heihachi battled to the death in the crumbling Underworld, a strange change began to take place behind a hidden door. In the far rear of the Underworld lied a door that led to a secret laboratory, where Mr. Ash used his technology and chemistry to make poisonous formulas. In that laboratory, Goggle Eyes and Trash Man hid with Micro Blast and Pupuru from a wild creature, Primeval, who was soon to hit.

"You two are to take on him when he crashes in here," Micro Blast said to Goggle Eyes and Trash Man. "I don't want him to devour me when he comes! I'm too small!"

"He would actually prefer ME because I would taste better with fat," Trash Man stupidly objected.

"No wonder you have the mind of a three-year-old, YOU'RE SO STUPID!"

Pupuru watched as the closed door began to bang with a very loud sound. "These three are too focused on that monster, they forgot all about me," she thought. "I hope Jin is doing well."

But Jin still could not get rid of the Devil gene that had overtaken his mind. Even as he pushed many punches upon his grandfather, his hatred grew more and more.

"You may be fierce…" Heihachi said to him, "…but I can still outmaneuver you with MY abilities!"

Devil Jin threw himself furiously at Heihachi, attempting to pin him to the crumbling ground. But Heihachi managed to jump off the path and leap towards a ledge on the wall. Heihachi saw this as a chance to hurl his foot at Devil Jin's head, planning to knock him out unconscious and throw him into the fire. But when he hurled himself, Devil Jin grabbed his foot and threw him against the sharp stones of another wall. The impact injured Heihachi's back, but he still wanted to give his attacks another try.

Devil Jin flew right towards his grandfather with full force, grabbing him by the shoulders. Then, with one big throw, he tossed him into the blazing flame.

Right then, Jin felt the Devil gene leave his mind as he returned to his normal self. He shook his head once he remembered what he had done. "I threw him in there!" he thought. "Did I just kill my grandfather?!"

But Heihachi was not dead; Jin then saw him leap right out of the fire and crash through the roof of the Underworld. After seeing that hole he made, Jin heard his grandfather cry out: "We shall meet again!"

Jin had to quickly run out of the chaos that was finishing around him. He broke through the door of the lab and suddenly saw Primeval lunge out at Pupuru. The mad creature bit her on the chest, which made her cry out in tremendous pain.

It seemed like Goggle Eyes, Trash Man, and Micro Blast were no help at all. Micro Blat cowered in a corner, shouting at Trash Man to attack at Primeval. "Hit him!" he screamed. "Smash him!"

"He won't stand still!" Trash Man replied, annoyed.

Goggle Eyes had an idea; he quickly took out a bottle of his powerful bug-killing spray. He thought it would work on Primeval and poison him to death. He shoved it up the creature's mouth and sprayed very quickly and heavily. But it turned out that Primeval was not a full creature at all; it was the skeleton of a jaguar controlled by many poisonous bugs working together. All those bugs connecting every single joint died from the strong chemical, and the skeleton completely fell apart.

Everyone was relieved that this strange creature was defeated, but Pupuru soon fell very ill from the poisonous bite. She could hardly stand up from such a sickness; those bugs were created by Mr. Ash himself.

Jin picked Pupuru up and carried her on her shoulder, turning to leave the lab.

"Wait a minute!" Goggle Eyes said to him. "Don't you want me to give her a dose of my spray? It might cure her of her sickness, getting rid of all the bugs."

"No!" Jin objected. "That might kill HER too. In the meantime, we really need to find a way out of here."

"Why not get out the same way we went IN?" Micro Blast suggested.

"Don't you understand? The Underworld behind that door is completely destroyed. If no one can go in that way anymore, than we certainly cannot go out through the same path. This laboratory must have an exit at the other end; the more we go on, the more we are likely to find a way into the forest."

"If you say that the Underworld is destroyed…" Trash Man said, "…then why do you insist that there is a way out of this laboratory?"

"Mr. Ash must have a door at the end," Jin answered in reply. "Otherwise, he would not be able to head into the forest and take many poisonous plants for his dangerous chemicals. Let's not share any more objections; let's move."

"Good point…"

Jin led the other three down a very long hall which led to the secret exit of the lab. Jin thought very deeply in his worried mind: "I can't let Pupuru die here and now. I won't let her die here without taking one last look at her friends. One last look… why did I just think of that? What am I, stupid? I need her to LIVE!"

Once Jin and the others reached the final room of the lab, they noticed the door that led back outside into the forest. "We've made it!" Jin exclaimed. "But Pupuru still does not have a cure! I can't let her die out there!"

"Perhaps there are many medicinal plants that make a good use?" Micro Blast replied.

"Maybe so, but I don't think I can find any fast enough. We're right in the middle of those poisonous plants that Mr. Ash uses, and we have no idea where we would run into next."

"Don't give up hope…" Trash Man replied to Jin, using the words of a three-year-old. "Keep thinking… Keep trying…"

"We'll do more than just try…"

Suddenly, the door opened, and in stepped SweetToothimus Prime, more than ready to battle Jin again. "I had detected that you survived the crash!" he exclaimed. "This time, I'll make sure that you never escape my vengeance!"

Jin set Pupuru down onto the nearest workshop table, eager to get rid of Prime and move along with the search for a cure. "Now that my hands are free…" he said, "…I'll find out how good you REALLY are!"

Prime attempted to blast a special electrical thrust at Jin, wanting to render him helpless. But Jin was too quick for him and dodged out of the way fast. No matter how fast Prime spun around to attack, Jin was quick and agile, leaping out of the way and stomping Prime's head.

"No matter where you run…" Prime exclaimed, "…I am still powerful enough to destroy you with my mighty hands!"

"Guess again, nitro nitwit!" Jin replied as he gave Prime a big blow upon the head. "I'm no weakling myself! You're not fighting a beginner, mister!"

"Finish him, Jin, while you can!" Micro Blast shouted. "You must… He will never give up!"

"I can't!" Jin replied. "There are many things I need to know from this pile of junk. Not only do I need a cure for Pupuru, but I also need transportation to get us back home." But then, Jin suddenly stopped himself. "Wait a minute!" he thought silently. "Dracula is still out there, and I cannot let him live to fulfill his plan! I need to defeat him, somehow, and save the country he plans to destroy."

But, during those few seconds of indecision, the crafty Prime secretly readjusted his electric wave length and blasted it at Jin. "That's why we will bury you…" Prime exclaimed. "We're not as trusting as you!"

But Trash Man, aware of Jin's danger, caught the assassin off guard by attempting to grab his arms. "I can't do much…" Trash Man thought. "But if I can just give Jin the few seconds he needs…!"

"Fool!" Prime exclaimed, tossing Trash Man off of him. "It's like a mouse attacking a tiger! You can accomplish nothing!"

Behind the battle, Micro Blast found a weapon that seemed strong enough to completely destroy Prime for good. "I have one chance left…" he thought. "The one weapon that I foolishly gave to Mr. Ash… It may yet save Jin!" He turned to Prime and pointed it right at him. "You've waited too long!" he threatened. "This laser light pistol will stop you now…"

"Your bluff won't work!" Prime replied. "That weapon will destroy the one who uses it as well as the victim! You would not dare! Now stand aside! I shall attend to you once Jin is destroyed!"

"No, Prime! You have gone too far! You think no man would give up his life for an ideal, do you? You are wrong! I would dare anything for what has completely changed me: friendship and heroism!"

"Words! Words! Out of my way!"

"Not just words, but DEEDS! Is there any more fitting way to glorify my greatest project than to destroy an enemy of freedom with it?!"

"No! You are mad! You will die also… STOP!"

But it was too late; the fate of SweetToothimus Prime had been sealed. Micro Blast pulled the trigger and launched the powerful laser, completely destroying the enemy. Prime was defeated; but luckily, Micro Blast survived the blast thanks to Jin's strength and agility. Jin had quickly rushed Micro Blast out of the way of the apocalyptic explosion.

Everyone was satisfied that there were no more dangers coming after them (for now that is). Jin was ready to take Pupuru with him on the next part of their journey and find a cure for her illness. The door was wide open, and it was time for him to go on.

But a few seconds after Jin stepped foot out into the forest, he noticed that the other three were not going with him. "Aren't you guys coming along?" he asked them.

"We'd rather stay here," Micro Blast replied through his Scottish accent. "This laboratory proves to be a useful place for making chemicals used for GOOD!"

"This seems to be a good place to stay," Goggle Eyes added. "And if we are able to create a formula to cure Pupuru, we'll tell you right away."

Jin gave them his contact number, then he said good-bye and went on with the journey. "What a big change we went through today!" he thought as he walked along. "Now I really regret being so arrogant at first. Being a true hero really means a lot to me, and only good things happen from there. All I need now is the cure to heal Pupuru, and the transportation to get us the heck out of here…"

 **(Note: Combot was in that battle in the original draft of the story. But after cancellation, I felt that he practically hogged the scene to himself, so there is no need to put him in again.)**

Chapter V

There was absolutely nothing real that Jin saw except the forest that he walked through. He held Pupuru in his arms for the next half-hour that passed, with him simply walking for the many miles that he covered. But he soon began to realize that the sun was fully setting, and darkness began to fall upon the land.

"I can go no further…" Jin thought as he lied Pupuru down on a soft bed of grass. "It would be better to travel again at daylight. But what I'm wondering is…will Pupuru still be alive by morning? I MUST find an antidote! So far, those three guys haven't contacted me at all; they must still be working on it. If not, I'll need to scavenge for a medicinal herb. What a wild adventure we're in! I crashed a ship here in this strange land, I seemed to have walked through hell, and now here I am with a dying girl. I can't seem to find where I am anymore…"

Those were the last words he muttered before he slouched up against a nearby tree. His eyelids grew heavy as he drifted away to sleep, his mind losing his focus and letting go of his thoughts.

Jin finally woke up when he felt the sun shine down upon him, marking a new morning. He looked around himself and saw that he was still in Krasnodar, and that Pupuru was still right next to him. "Blast these uneasy nights!" Jin thought out loud as he stood up, scratching his back. "I'm still here, and I still need to heal Pupuru before she meets her end. I must scout a way through more of the forest in order to find life forms."

But once he turned around, he was suddenly met with a fat, surprised-faced man, holding an axe. "Life forms, ya say?" the man spoke. "Well, buddy, you just found one."

"A man?!" Jin replied. "Then we're not alone!"

"Who's we?"

"My friend here is dying from a poison, and I need an antidote right away. This is something serious; that poison was from the Underworld."

"Underworld? You visited that dreaded place? I haven't spoken about it since that Lombax fella and that God of War tore the place apart! Pleased to meet ya! I'm Cousin Eddy!"

"I am Jin Kazama," Jin replied as he shook the stranger's hand. "And my friend here is Pupuru."

"I heard of her before…" Cousin Eddy continued, "…before I left Los Angeles."

"You traveled here? Where is your vehicle?"

"I used my special RV Calypso gave me to sail to Transylvania; I've heard of old Dracula many times, and I wanted to see if it was all true. But unfortunately, I was sabotaged. My oil was stolen for some wild project, and so I ended up stranded here."

"That clown robot must have taken it… He must have gone from here to the Underworld's lab."

"That's who I'm talking about! He took my oil and left me with an immobile RV! Stupid crap-face is gonna pay for what he done!"

Jin picked Pupuru up into his arms again; she was still out cold, and under her eyes grew dark shades of purple. Jin was desperate to heal her and bring her back to her normal, healthy self. "Do you have anything that will heal my friend?" he asked Cousin Eddy for the final time.

"Well…" Eddy replied, stroking his rough face, "…I think I recognize some of the plants that surround my RV. One of them might be the right thing to heal her. Come with me…"

Cousin Eddy led Jin for about one more mile to where his vehicle had landed. After a day or two of being stranded in this forest, weeds and dead grass surrounded it where it stood. "So you traveled with this piece of junk?" Jin asked him.

"It wasn't junk when I left LA," Eddy replied as he opened the RV's door. "But now it is since it's immobile. This baby is capable of shifting into a boat and sailing them seven seas. Anyway, over there is a nifty ginger. Grab it and bring it in."

"Now things are looking up!" Jin thought as he spotted the plant. "This should cure Pupuru in no time! But once that's finished, what's next? We're stuck with an unmovable RV, and we STILL need to cross the Black Sea to get to Transylvania. It looks like we'll need our bare hands to scavenge for answers, and I won't stop until we get to where we need to be!"

Jin gave the ginger to the patient redneck, who in turn took some scissors and cut the flower petals off of it. He then placed the petals into a mug and crunched them with a large spoon. "This is most effective when put in tea," Eddy explained as he ignited his stove to heat up a tea kettle. "Not only will the aroma wake her up, but she'll need to drink the whole thing if she wants to live."

"If what you say is true…" Jin replied, "…I'm buying it. I'll be back in a few minutes; I just gotta find a near shore and wash off. I've been through hell and back."

Jin left the RV and walked for another two miles to reach the nearest shore: the Black Sea. He was about to jump right in until something stopped him where he was. His eyes caught a fish that swam right near the edge of the river; he plucked it out of the water and slapped it at a nearby tree to knock it out. He then placed it on his left arm to heal a burn he had received when he fought with Heihachi. "Ivan was right about those fires," he thought as he felt the cool water subtracted the heat from his arm. "They were uncontrollable, they scorched that left arm of mine. But now I fear that the Devil gene will return and take over me again. Pupuru is not safe, as long as she is with me on this adventure back home. After she returns safely to the League of Heroes, that's when I'm cutting out. I can't let die by my own fault; I almost killed my own grandfather with such evil power!"

Suddenly, his eye watched what looked like a gold coin fall out of the fish's mouth. He caught it with his right hand and took a good look at it; he could not read the words on it due to it being inscribed in another language. "These certainly do not look like Russian words," Jin thought. "Maybe that guy has seen these before; I'd like to know what this goes to."

Chapter VI

Back at the inoperable RV, Cousin Eddy sat at the driver's seat, feeling the heat of the sun beat down upon him. His neck began to reveal a red tint due to the heat of what keeps the earth light and warm.

"They may have taken my oil…" Eddy thought as he looked behind him at the fully-revived Pupuru, "…but they didn't take my RV's battery, luckily. I should go turn on the air conditioning."

Suddenly, a bird caught the hillbilly's sight; to him, it was very interesting to find these animals in a forest like this. He grabbed a notepad that he left on the dashboard of his vehicle and began to write something on the next blank page.

"BIRD SEEN…" he said out loud as he wrote, "…A YELLOWBELLIED SAPSUCKER. SEEN WHERE: KRASNODAR, RUSSIA."

"A yellowbellied sapsucker?" Pupuru said from where she sat, at a fold-out table. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well, it's obvious!" Eddy replied. "It had a yellow belly, and it was sucking sap!"

"But those birds don't usually live around here."

"You're right… I'll write that I was just now visiting Mexico." Before he could say anything else, there was something else that he saw through the windshield of his vehicle. "Ohhh…" he chuckled as he watched another bird fly by. "Looks like them dumb duckies are out to play! Let's get out there and give 'em the old dirty feeling!"

"Can I go with you?" Pupuru asked him as she watched him grab his shotgun. "I'd like to learn hunting."

"And get hit in the chest with the butt of a gun?" Eddy replied. "I prefer you learn how to master the bow and arrow first. That ought to get you into the basics."

"That will do fine."

Cousin Eddy stepped out of the RV with Pupuru and gave her the right instructions and tips on how to properly use the bow and arrow. With Eddy's words as her guide, Pupuru aimed high at where the next duck flew by. She pulled the arrow back far enough for it to fly up there and hit that duck at the exact spot. Then, when she quickly released the arrow, she suddenly saw the duck fall with an arrow through its chest.

"You did swell!" Eddy cheered as he patted Pupuru on the back. But he then realized that he spoke too soon once he saw that the duck's mate was flying away.

"I'm out of arrows!" Pupuru said after reaching back into the quiver that was strapped to her back. "And she's getting away!"

"Oh no she ain't!" Eddy replied as he lifted his shotgun. Right as he fired, a thin cloud of smoke came from his gun, blinding him temporarily. When the smoke cleared, he did not see the duck. "I must have gotten him," he thought as he looked ahead of himself. "And if my eyes ain't deceiving me, there's your friend coming up the lane."

"Pupuru!" Jin exclaimed once he approached them. "You're okay! Thank God that plant worked!"

"I'm okay, Jin," Pupuru replied. "But I'm still concerned about YOU. I'm making a promise that I will never give up finding a way to get rid of that Devil gene. You cannot live with it, and I'm willing to help you remove it from the real you."

"Pupuru, I appreciate it very much. Thank you… I think I found a clue to getting us out of here. I found this while I was at the shore."

Cousin Eddy noticed the coin in Jin's hand and walked over to take a closer look at it. "Garsh!" he exclaimed. "You found yourself a Romanian coin!"

"So THAT'S the language inscribed on here!" Jin replied. "This must have been left behind here after that robot stole your oil supply!"

"That's correct, bud! I saw him carrying a treasure chest as he left for Transylvania. He must have been taking to his boss-man Dracula, and accidentally left this coin behind."

"But I found it in the mouth of a fish. That trout must have thought that this was food, so he swallowed it. So if that was the Black Sea I was at, then we must be getting closer! Eddy, do you have a map in your vehicle?"

"I actually do! Wait right here!" With that, Eddy got back into his RV to search for his map, leaving the scene where Jin half-smiled down at Pupuru.

"Do you normally meet these weird people?" he asked her.

"I have…" Pupuru replied. "Captain Qwark…Black…you name it!"

"Here's the map!" Eddy called out as he walked back outside into the sunlight. "Take a good gander at this: we're right at the edge of Krasnodar, Russia, and the nearest shore is indeed the Black Sea. We'll have to cross the whole sea to reach Romania, it looks like. The nearest shore there is Constanta."

"But the problem is…" Pupuru replied, "…we're stuck here. Your RV is immobile and cannot even sail across the Black Sea."

"Wait a minute!" Jin interrupted. "Now I remember! When I saw that freak Needles over at that other shore, I noticed he had a massive vehicle parked next to him. Perhaps we can steal its oil supply and fill the RV with it. Then it could shift into a boat and sail us to Romania!"

"Not bad, boy!" Eddy replied. "Not bad! I'm already thinking this will be a success! So, kid, where did you see this freak?"

"Follow me! I know the way!"

Jin led Pupuru and Cousin Eddy throughout many miles of the forest to where the entrance to the Underworld used to stand. It was blocked with giant boulders, sealing it off for good unless the power of a god would soon remove them. From there, Jin saw that familiar-looking shore that he found yesterday, farther away from the Sea of Azov. Tower Tooth was still parked there, and it was already active as the giant head on top turned around and watched the trio approach.

Needles was still there as well, and he was awake to see that Jin had returned for battle just as he had promised before. "So you actually kept your promise!" he spoke up as he leaned against the giant lifelike vehicle. "I am impressed!"

"I would love to tear you apart!" Jin replied as he stood there on the coarse sand. "But I promise not to lay a scratch upon your vehicle."

"Tower Tooth is precious to me… The Polygon Man should have known that, after the way he stole it from me! I was able to force it back to its rightful owner: me! And now, I'm going to put it to the good test!"

The eyes of the head glowed a bright red as it caught a wild and furious fire. Eddy looked up at it and faintly recognized its gleaming terror. "Have I thrashed this loser before?" he thought as he held his axe. "I can't completely destroy it; we still need its oil supply to make my RV operable again."

Jin was the first to make his move, shoving his right hand towards Needles' neck to grasp it. Needles reached both his hands up to grab Jin's wrist tightly.

"If you dare twist it…" Jin threatened him, "…your neck will snap along with it."

"Please…" Needles replied. "It's not your wrist I want to twist… I simply want to burn it…" With those words, his hands casted a spell, causing his fingers to become flaming hot and burn Jin's hand as he touched it.

Pupuru needed to get into action, knowing that the Devil gene would soon take over Jin if his rage continued. She held her bow tightly and aimed at Needles' side, wishing only to injure him and not kill him off completely. She fired her first arrow and managed to hit him where she wanted to. He staggered down to the ground and yanked the arrow out of his side. Blood soaked the left side of his body; he hit that spot with his fist so the blood would spill out onto the wet shore.

"Your search here was a waste of time!" Needles growled as his final warning. "My precious Tower Tooth does not run on oil… It's by my UNLIMITED POWER!"

The trio suddenly saw the light in Tower Tooth's eyes grow brighter. Finally, it blasted a large energy beam towards them, blasting them apart from each other. Cousin Eddy shielded his eyes and looked away from the bright light; but when it faded, he noticed that Jin and Pupuru had disappeared from the beach.

"They're gone!" he exclaimed. "You killed them!"

"They're not dead, fool!" Needles replied as beat at his wound one last time. "I simply teleported them across the sea. Dracula will take care of them from here; he'll be the one to finish them off completely."

Eddy turned and walked away from the villain. This mission may have been a failure, but he was sure that Jin and Pupuru would get the oil from Dracula and come back in some way. "If only they succeed…" he thought deeply. "I don't want to see the last of my two good friends!"

Chapter VII

After being asleep for about a half of an hour, Pupuru finally woke to the sound of flowing water. Her eyes opened to a bright light; it was the sun's light, shining through the water that Pupuru was under. She looked around herself and finally got the idea that she was in an underwater tunnel, made out of lead. Any shark that would dare bite at it would receive a shock from the invisible force-field that surrounded it.

"Tower Tooth must have brought me here," Pupuru thought, scratching her hand. "But now I'm separated from Jin and Eddy! I must go find them quickly! They should not be far from me!"

Pupuru carefully walked through the tunnel, trying hard to forget the wonders of the sea and keep focused on the task at hand. Though it was dark on the inside, there was a string of lights that guided her every step. She thought the water on the outside was all she would hear as she searched for the end of the tunnel; but later, she suddenly heard the sound of a machine moving towards her. As she slowly made a right turn, she saw someone approach her: an African-American man strapped to two giant wheels had stopped her where she stood.

"Who are you?" Pupuru asked him as the machine came to a halt.

"Little girl…" the man replied. "There's no need to be afraid; I'm here to help. My name is Axel; I'm a friend of Angela Cross, who is here to take you back home."

"Angela is here? Then I can go back to Los Angeles! But…wait a minute…! There is still a mission that I must complete…"

"A mission? It's too late for that now; Hwoarang is waiting at our boat, and we need to get you back home safely before Dracula does something dangerous to you."

"He's already up to no good, as I have heard. Besides, I need to know where Jin is before any more harm comes to him."

"Fine… But I can't guarantee that we'll take a while on this. I escaped Dracula after hearing of his new plan to destroy Romania with his new device, so we'll need to escape before that acid rain comes upon us."

Axel led Pupuru out of the tunnel and onto the land of Transylvania, where Dracula's castle stood completely still in the quiet of the day. Pupuru did not see any sign of life force at first, but a closer look allowed her to see the form of Jin Kazama, recovering from the sleep that Tower Tooth had put him into.

"Jin!" Pupuru called out. "You're alive!"

"You look healthy yourself, kid," Jin replied as he approached her and Axel. "While we're here, we can steal Dracula's oil supply and help Eddy get back to LA."

"So it's a DOUBLE mission…" Axel said. "There's far more to this than I at first thought."

"That's exactly what I should have told you before, Axel!" exclaimed a voice from behind. Everyone turned to see the mad scientist Dr. Zemu standing right there in front of them, holding a remote in this left hand.

"That's not possible!" Pupuru gasped. "I thought Needles had killed you after my memory was scanned!"

 **(Note: Remember that emotional moment at the beginning of "May Freedom Reign", where Ratchet travels to the past?)**

"How pathetic that villain was!" Zemu replied. "Little does he ever know that a genius like me can create clones with the same brain! But it is unfortunate that my creation known as Black left me and joined your team… But no matter! I still have the upper hand, and I think I already see a new man fitting to take the wheels."

"You mean…you're letting me go?" Axel said, surprised.

"I'm not letting you live, you numbskull. I just need a proper replacement, and it shall be done in this manner…"

With the press of a button on his remote, Zemu commanded the wheels to give Axel an electric shock. Axel could not escape no matter how hard he tried; his hands and feet were strapped to that contraption, and there he would stay until he died from the shock.

Pupuru still had enough magic to deal with the situation that she wanted to deal with; she quickly used a spell that would pull Axel from the machine, but something was terribly wrong. The more she tugged at him, the more electricity flowed through his veins.

"Don't underestimate this awesome power!" Zemu exclaimed with a sneer. "Only I could send enough power to cause his death! The more he moves, the more he'll feel the pain!"

"Stop!" Jin yelled at Pupuru. "You'll kill him!"

Not only was Pupuru's magic making the machine stronger, but too much of it tugged at Axel's heart, pulling it away from its proper place in his chest.

"Don't stop…!" Axel grunted. "Keep trying…!"

Pupuru used up the rest of her magic, pulling harder than before until Axel's heart stopped its beating. "You did it…" Axel grunted as he fell down to the ground. "I'm free…" Those were the final words that were heard from him.

"You killed him!" Jin shouted. "You monster! Why the-!" Suddenly, as his heart pounded violently, he suddenly felt drowsy once he mistakenly breathed a bitter sleeping gas that surrounded him.

Pupuru luckily held her breath and quickly ran away from the commotion, hoping to find the boat that Angela and Hwoarang brought with them on their journey to rescue her. But tears still stained her cringing face, knowing that there may be no hope for Jin.

"Was it wise of me to leave him there?" she thought as she ran on. "I can't let those monsters hurt him! But I can't do it alone! I must bring Angela with me back to the castle and stop Dracula before he dares lay a finger on Jin!"

After reaching the boat, Pupuru told Angela and Hwoarang all about what had happened, from the crashing of the ship to the death of poor Axel. She told them that she needed their help in freeing Jin and foiling Dracula's diabolical plot, other than to get the oil to help Cousin Eddy get back home.

"We truly did miss a whole lot while we searched for you," Angela said after hearing the story. "If you really need our help, we'll be willing to do whatever it takes to get us out of here safe and sound."

"Three missions in one…" Hwoarang thought silently. "This may mean that it will take twice as long to get out of here, but I'm getting used to staying at foreign places for a while. It helps me get along with its atmosphere."

Chapter VIII

Pupuru led Angela and Hwoarang to the rear entrance of the castle, in which the garage served as it. In there, Dr. Zemu was constructing his newest invention: SweetToothimus Prime Mk II.

"In there!" Pupuru whispered. "That's where the oil is! We'll grab all of it on our way out of here."

Zemu heard what Pupuru had said with his sharp hearing and turned to see her standing at the doorway. "You again!" he exclaimed.

"What do you mean 'again'?" Pupuru teased in reply. "I've ALWAYS been me!"

"Your stupid persistence is matched only by your abysmal carelessness! You should have surmised that even my unfinished robot contains deadly built-in weaponry!" With the press of another button on his remote, the mounted machine gun on the barely-constructed robot began to fire away hundreds of bullets.

The trio managed to dodge away from the shells and fought their way into the grand room of Dracula's castle. Angela did not wish to completely shoot Zemu down with her laser pistol; instead, she merely hit him on the head with it to knock him out cold.

Dracula turned from where he stood next to his mounted seeing stone and found that Pupuru had come back. "There's nothing more you can throw at me that I can't dodge!" Pupuru threatened him. "This time I don't leave until I get what I came here for!"

"You will get what I GIVE you—nothing more!" Dracula growled. "And that will be DEATH!"

A nearby door suddenly burst open, revealing what Pupuru had come for: Jin Kazama. But one look at him meant that everything had gone wrong: the Devil gene had taken over him again, combined with the power of the wheels he was now strapped to.

"You will never try to defy me again!" Jin roared as he moved his vehicle forward.

"Listen to me!" Pupuru exclaimed at him. "I want to help you!"

Before she could say anymore, Jin removed his arms from the arm sockets of the machine and thrust them forward to grab Pupuru's wrists. Zemu allowed Jin to do that so he could easily lash out at his enemies with his bare strength. "Why should you help me if you're my enemy?!" Jin said as he squeezed her hands tightly.

"Jin, stop!" Hwoarang exclaimed as he stood nearby. "She's a friend! Can't you remember?"

"It's no use!" Pupuru thought as she yanked her hands away. "I can't reason with him! If he is really lost, then that Devil gene has truly gotten the best of him! But he MUST recognize me!"

Gently, softly, the trembling youth tried to calm the bestial maniac with her eyes. Briefly, a flicker of recognition seemed to illumine the red eyes of Jin. But it soon ended when he grabbed Pupuru by her neck and squeezed it tightly. Then, with a mental command from a special cybernetic headset that hid behind his hair, he caused the contraption to blast out a powerful supernova shockwave, cutting everything it touched. Hwoarang, Angela, Dracula, and Dr. Zemu all had to jump to avoid being scorched by the nearly omnipotent weapon. The castle walls were affected by the deadly shockwave, causing them to crumble and fall apart. In the midst of the carnage and desolation, in the midst of the ruin and rubble, Jin roared his defiance to the world about him.

But when the smoke finally cleared, everyone saw that the Devil gene no longer held Jin as its victim. Jin held Pupuru safely from the stones and rubble that toppled onto them. He shielded her the best he could, bending over her as he held her tightly to himself.

Pupuru opened her eyes to see that Jin was brought back to his normal self and was ready to escape the torment of the machine and leave this horrid place. "Our time here is over…" he said as he gently put Pupuru down to the floor. "It's time we avenge…!"

"So you dare betray me?!" Dracula exclaimed as he rushed towards him. "As long as you are still in my domain, you're too late!" With that, he flipped himself forward and hit Jin's chest with his knee.

"We don't plan to be here for too long," Jin teased in reply as he kicked Dracula hard in the knee. "We're getting your oil and bailing the heck out of here! Come on, guys! Now's our chance!"

Angela took as many oil cans as she could carry and ran out of the garage. The other three followed from behind and went with her all the way to the boat that was still placed at Dracula's boat dock. It was then from Constanta that they sailed all across the Black Sea and back to Krasnodar, Russia, where a friend was still waiting.

This time, neither Tower Tooth nor Needles was on the shore of Krasnodar. That made everything fall into place as Jin and Pupuru raced towards Cousin Eddy's RV with their supply of oil. Eddy was surprised and happy to see that his friends came with the oil safely; now his RV could shift into a boat, and he could sail back home.

"I don't know how to thank ya guys!" he happily exclaimed once he started his vehicle.

"The least you can do is celebrate with us at LA," Pupuru replied. "We'd be happy to have you at our mansion."

 **(Note: It would be very corny to say "There was much rejoicing" at this part. Perhaps I should simply skip to the next part of the story and put us back at Los Angeles, after everyone made it safely.)**

Chapter IX

It took two days to get from Russia to Japan to the United States. They had to take two airplanes to fly around the world back home, and it was a happy feeling to be back at the mansion of the League of Heroes safe and sound.

Yes, they made it back; but there was still something missing that needed to be fulfilled. Jin asked to be a part of the League of Heroes and fight side-by-side with the best in Los Angeles. Pupuru really wanted to accept the offer, but Ratchet was still gone; she needed him to confirm the answer and decide if Jin was worthy of being part of the greatest crime-smashing team of all time.

There was still something in the air that had disturbed Pupuru in her sleep. Count Dracula and Dr. Zemu were still alive and needed to be dealt with. Now that Pupuru had returned to her friends, she could combine her power with theirs so that defeating Dracula would be easier than with bare hands.

One week had gone by, and there was still no sign of getting ready to head back to Romania and save it from being destroyed by the toxic rain that Dracula would soon send. His new machine was soon to be finished, and it was only a matter of time before it was fully put into action.

"I can't let him get away with this!" Pupuru thought aloud as she looked out her window. "He is by far one of the most difficult foes I've ever faced, but not as strong as Needles. HE is mixed in this as well, which means double trouble for me. It seems as if I'll have to bring with me the WHOLE team if we're going to stop this menace!"

"That's why we're coming with you," said a voice from behind. Pupuru turned to see Jin standing right there, but with someone else familiar right next to him.

"Ratchet!" Pupuru exclaimed in excitement. "You're back! Oh, where have you been?"

"It's a very long story," Ratchet replied. "And I don't want to spoil it until we eradicate Dracula of his foul plot. I did hear from Cole and Nariko that his new invention was incomplete, and he may add the finishing touches any minute now."

 **(Note: Remember from one of the dramatic chapters of "Return of the Reaper"? That was Dracula and SweetToothimus Prime's first appearance in the reboot series. Now they have returned to relive a classic!)**

"That means we'll have to travel around the world again," Pupuru sighed. "But it won't be that bad, I'm getting used to exploring foreign lands. Anyway, we should go tell the others to come with us on our journey; we'll need ALL of our might to topple Dracula's plan."

"Not EVERYBODY is coming," Jin replied. "I heard that the rest of the gang are going out, hunting for criminals that had recently escaped Blackfield Asylum. They don't even know that we're planning this journey, except one person…"

"I decided not to go on that dull hunt," spoke a female shifter from the corner of the room.

"Kat!" Pupuru exclaimed. "You're coming with us?"

"I figured the power of a shifter would be needed to help destroy that AcidMaker. Besides that, even if it was to be put into effect, I should help blow the storm clouds away by turning the machine against its own doing."

"Now I'm feeling so good about this! I'm hoping this all becomes another success, next to last week's adventure!"

"Don't get cocky…" Ratchet replied to Pupuru. "If we're in this together, ANYTHING is possible! Let's get our things and head out…quietly…"

Back at Transylvania, Dr. Zemu had finished his creation of SweetToothimus Prime Mk II, and ordered him to repair the castle as the first command. Though Dracula's home was being put back together, the vampire himself was still not satisfied with the progress of the AcidMaker.

"You are too slow!" he exclaimed at the scientist. "Why isn't that AcidMaker finished?!"

"Patience, please!" Zemu replied as he held a small wrench. "I had to make the new robot so we can get more security around here. But I'm still working on this, and it won't take long for me to give it the command chip."

"You must hurry! I feel something in my bones, as if an old adversary is returning. Ah, yes! Jin Kazama is coming back here, and he's bringing three more fighters with him! Once the AcidMaker undergoes its first test, those four will be the first witnesses of its awesome power…as well as the first victims! There will be absolutely no escape from what is coming to them! If the rest of their team dares to come at me, they too shall feel my wrath!"

 **(Note: Sorry this chapter was too short. I assure you this next one will extend its length to cover one full battle.)**

Chapter X

In about two days' time, Pupuru and her three friends had landed at the shores of Romania, ready to put into action the next part of their grand adventure. Though Pupuru was slightly tired and exhausted, she still needed to press on and continue her mission.

"Don't give it up," Kat would tell her. "This is our moment."

"Now for our strategy…" Ratchet spoke as he sat in the boat. "Jin and I will make a distraction in the garage to keep Dr. Zemu and his new robot away from what you and Kat are about to do. You both are to get into that castle and destroy that AcidMaker, before any toxic rain can come and burn this land."

"It's a good thing Captain Qwark isn't here to misunderstand the instructions," Kat replied. "We would have to repeat this stratagem. But I hear you loud and clear, Ratchet. Come on, Pupuru. Let's go show those guys we mean business."

"Right behind you," Pupuru replied to her with a sigh.

Dr. Zemu was already aware that the two girls would enter the castle through the garage, so he created a diversion and hid himself away into the grand room. Though he successfully made himself out of the heroes' sight, he still needed something to defend himself with. He had completed the new model for SweetToothimus Prime, and now was his chance to activate it. "They shouldn't feel like they've already beaten me," Zemu thought as he pressed a button on his remote. "I'll show them what it's like when technology overcomes life!"

The new model of Prime began to move and ready itself for combat. "Zemu kept true to his word!" he thought through its memory frame. "Now it is time I have my revenge!"

Kat and Pupuru made it into the castle, thinking that Prime was not yet activated. But Prime allowed them to enter, knowing that Dracula was soon going to deal with them in the most horrid way possible. He stood ready when he saw Jin and Ratchet approach the garage.

"I've waited a long time for this moment…" Prime spoke up. "But, it shall be worth it!"

"I hope so, sweetie," Ratchet teased in reply as he grabbed his trusty Omniwrench. "I sure wouldn't want you to go away disappointed! Let's see what a big walloping can do against you!"

Ratchet quickly slid around to the back of the robot and wacked it hard with his wrench. "I don't like it," he thought. "He's as strong as he looks! I'm not harming him a bit!" He was correct, seeing that Dr. Zemu had added new gold plates to Prime's armor.

 **(Note: Does that remind you of Gold Tooth?)**

"Now it's my turn!" Prime exclaimed as he raised his left hand. "See how powerless you are against my superior size and strength!"

With that, Prime managed to pull Ratchet's wrench to him by a magnetic attraction in his palm. "He's not just whistling Dixie!" Ratchet thought as he stood back, watching his great weapon leave him.

"So!" Prime continued as he held the wrench above his head in a taunt. "Taking your precious weapon from you did not make you helpless, eh? Well, do not grow impatient!"

"I've got to keep myself ready for anything," Jin thought silently as he snuck around the robot for a new move of attack. "This guy is definitely coming at us with EVERYTHING he has! I must act quickly to give Ratchet time enough to retrieve his wrench."

But the sensors inside Prime's head pointed him out to Jin's location on his built-in radar. He turned and raised his left hand again, unleashing another weapon. "Your attack is useless!" he exclaimed. "You cannot escape my radar rings! All I need do is point at my victim…press a control stud…and the rings on my arm shoot out…growing larger by the second…!"

Jin tried his best to out-maneuver the flying rings, but their built-in radar was too sensitive, encircling him tightly and trapping his arms and legs. "They're shrinking!" Jin thought as he struggled to free himself. "They're becoming so tight I can't move!"

"Now that I've brought you to the ground where you need to be…" Prime said as he pushed a button on his chest-plate, "…this power-sapper beam will make you weaker by the minute…! Let the world see how helpless you are before me!"

"I've got to free myself!" Jin thought as he felt a beam engulf his body. "If the Devil gene takes over me, I would be out of here in a snap! But I should understand the risks and try to hold it back."

Suddenly, Prime felt something touch his back and hit him very hard. He then looked and found himself in this gooey substance; Ratchet had thrown a beaker of unstable Freon at him, after finding it from the shelf of Zemu's garage. "A direct hit!" Ratchet thought as he watched Prime struggle. "It'll freeze and solidify almost instantly…and then—the newly-formed ice will become rock-hard, making him unable to move—forcing him to the ground."

"You fool!" Prime exclaimed. "You think to defeat me with a mere test tube?" But it was right then that he realized what was happening to him, finding himself almost to the point of freezing. "Gas—solidifying around me! Hard to move-!" Then, with all the energy in his mechanical body, he shattered the ice shield that formed about him, with one punch. "Now do you realize that nothing you can do will stop me?"

But he turned to see that Ratchet had freed Jin from those strong coils, using the built-in propeller from his wrench as a saw to cut them and break them apart. "So!" Prime continued. "You created so great a diversion to retrieve your weapon! But it shall not prevent my victory!"

"Defend yourself!" Jin replied. "For nothing can save you now!"

"Brave words cannot stop the awesome assault! Nor can they defend you against the pounding power of my shatter-blast ray!" This time, Prime used his right hand to fire a yellow-glowing ray at his two opponents.

"You're right!" Jin replied as he grabbed Ratchet and leaped out of the way. "Words cannot help me…! But the power of the martial arts can!"

"He is too fast!" Prime thought in frustration. "He evades my attack with ease!"

"Let's keep this up!" Jin said as he put Ratchet down. "He's losing his temper—as I hoped he would. Now we'll try a NEW angle: turning his creator against him, with his many inventions."

Taking the idea as an opportunity to receive victory, Ratchet grabbed hold of what looked like a ray gun that Dr. Zemu kept on the shelf of his workshop and aimed it directly at this monstrous machine. "I thought you'd make a great target for me if I gave you half a chance!" he taunted. "Here's a sample of your creators OTHER works! Not bad, huh?"

Prime felt the ray pelt him with great power beyond even his own understanding. "Even the heaviest armor on Earth can't withstand many blasts like that!" he thought as he struggled to keep on his feet.

"You made the same mistake ALL super-villains and bullies made," Ratchet continued. "You thought you'd just have to flex your gears and show your strength, and your enemies would fall by the wayside. Well, you picked the wrong enemy this time, mister! You made the worst mistake any villain can make: you challenged a foe who isn't afraid of you!"

Now it was Jin's turn to make another move, taking another gun from Zemu's shelf and using it against the ferocious robot. "You thought your armor made you invulnerable, eh?" he taunted. "Well, what do you think now, as these negative particles of ionic energy drain the protective qualities right out of your clumsy armor!"

"I'm getting weaker!" Prime thought as he felt the pellets of energy attack him severely. "He has access to Zemu's scientific weapons! I'm about to explode!"

"And just one more thing!" Ratchet continued. "Time to reverse the energy output of your kimono!"

One last blast from one last weapon rendered helpless SweetToothimus Prime Mk II. His energy abandoned him, leaving him inoperable and defeated. "That takes care of him!" Jin said as he looked over the ruins. "But what about the girls? Have they reached the AcidMaker yet?"

"I don't know for sure," Ratchet replied. "But it is getting dark out. Those storm clouds are coming in fast, and that AcidMaker will be put into action soon if Pupuru and Kat don't destroy it. Dracula may be in there, stopping them; and, if my hypothesis is correct, Needles is in there as well!"

Chapter XI

During that same time that Jin and Ratchet fought off the robot, Pupuru and Kat had searched for where the AcidMaker was kept. They went from the main hall to the grand room, but the machine was still not in their sight.

"They must have hidden it real good," Kat whispered as she beheld the mounted seeing stone in the middle of the room. "Perhaps this here can tell us where it is."

"I'm afraid not," Pupuru replied. "Only the master can use such a magical source such as this. There are a few more rooms to check; let's go explore them…quietly…"

But she spoke too soon, hearing the footsteps of the vampire coming down the hall. "Dracula's coming!" she said. "We must hide quickly!"

"You go find that machine," Kat replied, keeping her ground. "I'll hold him off! Get going!"

"I hope you know what you're doing," Pupuru thought as she dashed through a pair of curtains that led to another room. "I better see you in one piece when I get back."

Indeed Pupuru was correct about who was approaching the room; Dracula himself had arrived to stop her and Kat in their act of finding and destroying his AcidMaker. But something was different about him this time; his eyes glowed a brighter red as a wider evil grin appeared on his face. "Don't think you have the opportunity to break my plans and take victory for yourself," he spoke up.

"Your voice…" Kat replied, pondering over this dilemma. "It sounds familiar…!"

"This is where you finally meet your defeat at the hands of Needles!" the vampire continued.

That's when Kat began to realize that Needles had taken complete control over Dracula's mind and body. Now the villain had become a full vampire, willing to carry on what Dracula had started, in his own way. Before Kat could do anything more, she suddenly froze right where she was in her tracks. She watched those red eyes glow ever brighter as they focused in on her.

"That's it…" Needles said slowly. "Gaze into my eyes… Don't look away…!"

After about fifteen seconds, Kat's mind went blank. She could not think or speak; she was completely under the spell of the shrewd and base villain. As her first command, she was sentenced to walk into the prison chamber and await for her execution later on. Pupuru too needed to be taken so she could be sentenced to the same death that waited for Kat.

As for Pupuru, she did not find the AcidMaker where she searched, and she too was caught in her plan by Dr. Zemu. She was taken to the prison chamber to meet up with Kat, who sat on a wooden pull-out bench, still hypnotized to do nothing.

Pupuru looked deep into the face of her friend, startled and afraid of the execution that was coming for them next. "She knows nothing about what's about to come!" she thought. "She doesn't even know I'm here with her. If there's any way to break her out of her hypnosis, it's (gulp) a large hit on the head."

Pupuru hesitated to raise her hand to make her move, but she had to do what must be done. "Kat…" he thought as he grabbed her friend's head. "I'm sorry…!"

She shoved Kat's head to the stone wall, breaking her hypnosis and snapping her back to reality. Once Kat realized what was going on around her, she felt the back of her head in pain. "That's better…" she moaned.

"Better?" Pupuru replied. "I just injured you!"

"It's better to have a bump on the head than to be stuck in hypnosis. I am grateful for what you did. Did you find that invention?"

"I'm afraid not… Our mission here is a failure, thanks to that genius who is about to have our heads!"

"It's not ALL his fault; Needles is here too, and he's taken control of Dracula's body."

"I knew he'd come back to haunt me…! He might have the idea of killing us both at the same time, not consecutively."

"That's not likely; he might kill me first and save you for last, since you're a closer enemy to him than I am."

"You mean…he'll kill you first?!"

"Don't worry about me—I'll use my powers to save myself, and we'll be out of there in no time flat. It'll all be okay… We'll destroy the AcidMaker and get the heck out of here."

"That sounds like a real promise… Thank you, Kat…" Pupuru began to feel very drowsy and cold, he wrapped her cape around herself to keep warm. Kat helped her to feel warmer with her gravitational powers, brining the warmer air from the atmosphere into the prison chamber of the castle. She glowed her usual bright red, bathing the chamber in a comforting light.

About ten minutes later, Kat heard the footsteps of Zemu coming to grab them out of the chamber. "The doctor is coming…" Kat whispered to her friend. "Pretend to be distraught. I'll continue to stare blankly as if I'm still in a trance."

"This better work…" Pupuru replied as she ruffled up her hair.

Zemu opened the door and saw what he had hoped for: Pupuru was starting to panic, with no help from the dazed Kat. "So this IS my lucky day!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Kat by the left arm. "Wait right here and, I promise you, your life will be over even quicker."

"Try not to blink…" Pupuru whispered to Kat, watching Zemu leave and come back with an axe.

Kat briefly smiled and winked at her good friend before using her disguised face again. Zemu was ready to land the blade upon the shifter's neck before he could realize what was about to strike him. Pupuru thought that Kat would do something right before Zemu could even raise the axe.

"What are you doing?" Pupuru thought. "DO something!"

Kat already had her stratagem ready, watching the shadow on the wall move as Zemu swung the axe down. "Just a split-second…" she thought silently, pretending not to notice. "NOW!"

And just like that, she glowed her bright red hue to ignite her gravitational powers. The glow startled Zemu enough to yank the axe away from her neck. Then with her powers, Kat snatched the deadly weapon from the madman and wrapped it around her scarf. "Get him, Pupuru!" she exclaimed as she focused her powers on herself to levitate out of the room.

Pupuru right away raised her right leg to kick Zemu in a very weak spot, where it hurt the most.

 **(Note: You probably already guess which spot it is. But if you don't, I'll give you the code phrase "HIT HIM HARDER IN THE GROIN!")**

While Zemu groaned in excruciating pain, Pupuru made a run for it and followed Kat to search for the AcidMaker. Now that they had that axe, it would be easier to make short work of the evil machine. But little did they know about the difficulties and consequences for what they were about to face.

Chapter XII

After having destroyed the robot, Ratchet and Jin continued their search for the AcidMaker as well, keeping in mind that Needles hid the castle to draw the heroes out and issue them to battle. And Needles had done that just well, appearing before them in the body of Dracula, and proving that he had become stronger than ever.

"So, little Lombax…" Needles spoke as he gritted his teeth, revealing two vampire fangs. "You thought you could overthrow me again, after all the chaos we went through at Bullet Beach!"

 **(Sigh! Another note! What he just said refers to something that will not be revealed until the end. You'll have to find out yourself.)**

"Those were innocent people you tried to mess with!" Ratchet replied as he clutched his wrench tightly. "I'll make sure you don't try it again, after what you attempted to do to my friends!"

"Anger…" Jin hissed as he stood next to him. "And I'm full of it…!"

Ratchet stood back to watch the horrifying transformation, now realizing that the Devil gene had taken over Jin's mind once again. Needles smiled as he saw the black wings grow out of Jin's back, knowing that he had just won himself a new challenge.

"I guess it WAS such a good idea to transport you here, thanks to my powerful Tower Tooth," he said. "After you and the girl disappeared, I went and challenged Ratchet once again, as well as planning to slaughter his new friends. If you feel that same way, young man, try to come at me!"

Enraged, Jin launched himself towards his enemy and attempted to tear his fangs right out his mouth. The clown-vampire defended himself by blinding Jin with his cape, then pushing him back to where he stood before. As the deafening impact seemed to shake the surrounding mountains themselves, the two great warriors clashed in mortal combat.

"This is your finish, you gruesome gargoyle!" Needles exclaimed. "Even if your own strength can match mine…I've got the brains to think…to out-plan you!" After saying those very words, he unleashed a blow upon Jin, pushing him back once more. "Hah!" he continued. "Never before have you faced someone who could stand up to your power!"

"You don't realize…" Jin threatened in reply, "…my powers are beyond you!"

"Brainless one! You haven't the sense to realize…you're doomed! You'll be no more than a forgotten memory!"

After receiving another blow, Jin's anger rose to an unbelievable height. His red eyes focused only on the task of destroying he who stood before him. With one more lunge, he knocked Needles back so hard, stones from the castle wall began to fall onto him, rendering him unconscious.

"Jin…" Ratchet spoke to the possessed friend of his. "You know I'm your friend! You know you can trust me… If you run out on us now, it'll all be over! There'll never be any hope for you-! But, if you try to help—if you just follow our reason of being here—Earth will be saved once more!"

"You scum!" Jin replied as he attempted to walk away. "The only thing I want is POWER! Not to save this pitiful world from such outcasts!"

"Even if you don't care about yourself—think of Pupuru! Only you can save her life-!"

Slowly, falteringly—the possessed fighter turned. Then dimly, some faint glimmer of comprehension appears in those red eyes. "Her…" he hissed.

Ratchet's eyes still closed, refusing to open to see what would happen next. But only the familiar voice of he who stood before him urged him to see what had changed. "Ratchet…" Jin spoke to him. "Why the long face? Come on, man, we've got to destroy that AcidMaker before it's too late!"

Ratchet opened and saw that Jin had returned to his kind, normal self again. "Thank God…" he sighed. "How much longer until we find the correct room where it's kept?"

"I don't exactly know the way there," Jin replied. "But Pupuru and Kat may have found it, since they have not met up with us yet."

"I hope they're still alive… I think the best thing to do is go find them. It's time we cut from where we currently are and stick together for the rest of the plan. Let's go find them!"

Kat and Pupuru finally found where the AcidMaker was kept: right after Needles hypnotized Kat to walk to the prison chamber, he placed the machine right at the opening of the garage, where its satellite would reach the center of the storm clouds that soon gathered.

"So our search ends right where it began?" Pupuru exclaimed as she examined the invention.

"I guess Zemu was focused on timing…" Kat replied as she unwrapped the axe from her scarf. "But even if the machine is destroyed, we still need to get rid of those clouds. Otherwise, it wouldn't be safe to sail back to the airport that we landed at. If lightning was to strike the water, then we'd all be DEAD!"

Right after she said those words, a clap of thunder roared right next to the castle. Pupuru did not feel safe where she stood, but she had to remind herself that Kat was with her, who was more than help for her; she was a friend.

"No you don't!" Dr. Zemu shouted as he ran into the garage. "Don't you lay a finger on my machine!"

"Get to a safe spot!" Kat told Pupuru, pointing her towards the shelf at the west wall. "I'll take care of this!"

Then, the shifter performed one of her greatest feats to fulfill the mission the four heroes came for. Zemu watched her glow again, using her powers to walk up the air, as if walking up an invisible staircase. She was about to reach the eye of the storm, where she would put into action her next move.

"What?!" Zemu exclaimed, shaken and distraught. "She can't do that! This must be a fraud! She must be faking it!" Mad where he stood, he foolishly attempted to climb the AcidMaker and snatch Kat from where she levitated. But after leaping off the machine, attempting to grab her leg and pull her down, he fell back to the floor, facedown upon the surface.

"This is it!" Kat thought. "There's no turning back now!" Then, with her powers, she held the AcidMaker in the air, then threw it right into the storm. But the final part was to destroy it in order to prevent the acid rain to come. "Pupuru!" she called down. "Use the axe! Throw it as hard as you can!"

Pupuru struggled to reach from her safe spot to the center of the storm. The heavy rain pelted her; she had to trudge through the weather in its pounding condition, with the fear that she would slip and be blown away. To help her, Kat used her powers to cause the axe to float. Pupuru quickly plucked it out of the air and performed the unbelievable feat that would foil Dracula's plan once and for all. Like how Thor swung his mighty Uru hammer known as Mjolnir, Pupuru swung that axe with her right arm—once, twice, thrice, then finally let go of it. The axe flew into the sky as it still spun; Kat once more used her power to push it into the storm clouds, as it met with the AcidMaker up in the atmosphere.

Suddenly, a large explosion erupted in the sky; the axe cut right through the machine's main power supply, causing the apocalyptic explosion to occur. The black clouds began to disperse and separate, allowing the sun to shine upon the land. The blue sky was soon to appear, finishing the beautiful scenery that the heroes planned to bring back to Romania.

Exhausted and weary from the ordeal, Kat brought herself back down to the ground, almost passing out cold. Pupuru caught her before she could hit her head again; she was safe as anyone would ever be in this corrupt world.

"Are you alright?" Pupuru spoke to her. "It's all over… We did it…"

"Are you sure?" Kat replied, scratching her head. "I sure don't want Ratchet and Jin to leave disappointed. They didn't destroy the AcidMaker…"

"I know, but they must have held off Dracula and Needles while we did our job. We brought back the sunshine and saved this land from being destroyed by acid rain. We've done it, good friend!"

Kat and Pupuru sat at the edge of the garage, watching the land bloom again like they wanted it to. An unconscious Dr. Zemu still lied there on the floor, but the girls knew that Ratchet and Jin would soon come and scoop him up to send him to prison. And as for Needles, he had escaped again, soon to control another body that would be combat-ready. Dracula's body, however, was rendered dead.

"By the way…" Pupuru began to ask Ratchet after explaining the aftermath, "…where did you go after saying good-bye on that ship? Right before Jin came, I began to wonder where you would have ended up in."

"Well, my friend…" Ratchet replied with a smile, "…let me just say it was pretty crazy. After I left the ship, I found myself somewhere rather grassy. I watched Clank malfunction and run into some big green giants! And the next thing I knew, I heard someone shout: WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP!?"

 **GET SHREKED!**

 **WHERE WAS RATCHET WHEN JIN AND PUPURU WENT ON THAT ADVENTURE? YOU WILL SOON FIND OUT, COMING SUMMER 2016! THE ULTIMATE ANIMATED MOVIE CROSSOVER! STARRING SHREK, PO (KUNG FU PANDA), RATCHET AND CLANK, NICK WILDE (ZOOTOPIA), NEEDLES KANE, AND POPEYE THE SAILOR! MORE INFORMATION IS FOUND ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL (COLEIOSIS B.)**

 **THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS WON'T BE UNTIL APRIL 2016, WHEN MR. GRIMM REVEALS A VERY SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT HIMSELF. HOW DOES IT CONNECT WITH RATCHET'S CHILDHOOD? WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE FOR OURSELVES!**

 **UNTIL THEN, GOD BLESS YOU!**


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